A Talk to Remember
by Quirky Baller
Summary: Takes place right after 14x16 (Walking in My Shoes). Imogen is unsure if she wants to tell Fiona about her problem with Jack and get advice. With Eli's nudge, she gets the courage to talk to her and reveal her thoughts on some lingering feelings which leads to even more as the weeks to graduation creep closer.
1. Chapter 1

It was nearly 9 at The Dot with only Eli and Imogen still there. Eli was finishing up his last few duties before locking up. Imogen stared at the green dot on her computer. Only one person on her list was available for video chat and coincidentally enough, it was the person she most wanted to call.

Fiona hadn't changed her picture in over a year, something very unlike Fiona Coyne. Imogen knew and understood that her ex girlfriend was busy, heck she was extremely busy. Now however, was a rare moment where Fiona was free. And Imogen wanted to badly ask for her advice. Eli and Clare were great, but they wouldn't fully understand. Same with Becky.

Imogen sighed and leaned further on her elbows, prompting Eli's attention from the cupcakes he was frosting.

"Immy what's wrong?" Eli asked, eyebrows arching with concern. "Still stuck on Jack?"

"Yeah," Imogen answered with a slight huff. "Fiona's free and I kinda wanna talk to her, but I kinda don't at the same time."

Eli let out a slight chuckle before asking, "Fiona? Our Fiona? Immy if she's free you gotta ask her. Who knows when the both of you are going to be free again? Besides, she's probably the best person to get some advice from. Call her!"

"But I can't!" Imogen exclaimed, hands flailing in the air. "She's my ex Eli! Not only will this be extremely awkward but also rude! She knows nothing about Jack."

"So?"

"So…" Imogen dragged. Imogen leaned further, pushing her shoulders back, hoping Eli would catch her drift.

Eli nodded and asked, "You think she might still have feelings for you?"

Imogen nodded solemnly. "I mean, she knows nothing about Jack and I know nothing about her dating life. Maybe she's too busy to date and I don't want to make her uncomfortable or anything…"

As Eli listened, a flashbulb suddenly flickered in his brain and he had a wistful smile.

"Eli, what's wrong? You're smiling."

"Imogen you still have feelings for her."

Imogen shook her vehemently and said, "Eli, she was my best friend and first real relationship. I'll always love her but I don't have feelings for her!"

"Really?" Eli said with a doubtful smile. He leaned toward her and said, " 'Cause everything you're saying points to you being scared of calling her because _you're_ worried that she'll have moved on. Face it Ims, you still have feelings for her. No matter how small, they're still there."

"What about Jack?" Imogen questioned, pushing up her glasses before crossing her arms. She scowled and added, "She and I are a thing. I can't worry about how I feel about Fiona. I miss her Eli, but she's in Italy. There's nothing I can do!"

Eli bit his lip and gave a sorry sigh. "Immy, I kinda hate to break it to you but you just admitted to still having feelings for Fiona. And you and Jack aren't _technically_ a thing right now."

Imogen gulped, her face full of fear and gasped when Eli grabbed her computer and requested a video chat with Fiona Coyne. She gave Eli an angry look as he aimed the computer's camera toward himself and Imogen. He put on his most charming smile and was not disappointed when the beautiful face of Fiona Coyne appeared.

Imogen felt her breath leave and her stomach felt weighted by what felt like a pound of lead. Small butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her heartbeat increased marginally.

"Imogen? Eli?" Fiona asked with a smile on her face.

Imogen was glad to see that Fiona looked mostly the same since their break up. Her blue-grey eyes contained their usual sparkle though not as bright. Her smile was just as breathtaking as usual but not as wide. Her wavy brown tresses were pulled into an uncharacteristic ponytail, something Imogen had only seen once in her whole life since knowing Fiona.

"How are you doing Ms. Coyne?" Eli asked in a teasing tone.

Imogen didn't note her response and instead focused on Fiona's background. She was wearing a stylish yet simple blue blouse. She sat at a wooden desk full of papers of what looked to be rough sketches of designs. In the background was a sofa set with coffee table surrounded by walls with a few pieces of art.

Imogen would have kept watching the background had Eli not subtly elbowed her lightly, garnering her attention.

"Hmm, what?" Imogen asked, head craning and looking for the source of what broke her stupor.

Fiona let out a slight giggle as Eli exasperatedly said with a smile, "I've sort of caught Fiona up to speed. Now it's your turn to talk. Have fun guys." He leaned toward Imogen's ear and softly whispered, "Tell her what you want Imogen. Just tell her the truth, she deserves that much." He looked at her with a reassuring smile before sliding his batch of cupcakes down to the end of the counter on the other side.

"So Immy," Fiona said, leaning on her elbows, angling her head closer to the screen. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Well I guess two things," Imogen replied hesitantly. "I need some advice on helping someone come out and I need to know why your hair is in a pony tail?"

Fiona's face was completely serious until Imogen's question. She let out a raspy laugh and brought her hands up to her face. She undid the pony, letting her beautiful hair fall down in waves. She arched an eyebrow and asked, "Better?"

Imogen's stomach exploded with butterflies and her heart reminded her of a hummingbird. She nodded, mumbling, "Mmhmm," as she felt her cheeks turn red from blush.

Imogen took a deep breath, quelling her rosy cheeks and butterflies temporarily. She looked at Fiona, who had a smile on her face but a serious look in her eyes.

"My girlfriend," Imogen started nervously. She noticed Fiona's lack of reaction and went on, "My _ex-girlfriend_ I guess, technically," Imogen let out a breath. "we broke up because she wasn't out to her parents and we were nominated for best couple and had a good chance of winning and she didn't want to come out and we fought and broke up."

Hearing how that sounded made Imogen feel guilty for pushing Jack and Fiona's frown didn't help things.

"Immy," Damn the butterflies were back. "You can't push her to come out if she isn't ready."

"I know Fiones," Imogen replied, using Fiona's nickname with ease. "But if you knew her you'd totally understand what I mean. Jack's a badass, I mean she throws axes for fun!"

"Wow," Fiona replied, trying to keep her doubts at bay. Her eyes had widened when she heard how strong Jack was and couldn't help but frown when hearing Imogen's praise for her current beau. As she went through Imogen's words though, she couldn't help but scrunch her face in confusion.

"Something wrong Fiona?" Imogen asked concernedly, bring her phone closer to her face. "You look confused."

"I kind of am," Fiona replied, trying to process what Imogen told her. "Immy, I know you're a strong believer in equality and representation but _this_ doesn't sound like you. Are you really this concerned about being pictured together in a yearbook?"

Imogen noted the small amount of skepticism and disgust in Fiona's voice at her question and looked down at her shoes, unsure of how to respond. She looked over to Eli who was mouthing, 'Tell her!' repeatedly.

"It's just," Imogen struggled to find the right words. "This is the first time anything like this has happened to me. I would've preferred being the best couple with you but that didn't happen and now I can do it with Jack, and man! I sound so selfish!" Imogen moaned putting her head in her arms, giving Fiona a full view of her hair.

"Imogen. Imogen." Fiona demanded softly, trying to garner her attention. Imogen lifted her head, eyes watery and starting to turn red. "Look, if you really care about Jack, then you have to respect her terms of how she plans or thinks about coming out. If you really love her, then the yearbook shouldn't even matter."

"Im, just tell her!" Eli exclaimed. "Stop beating around the bush."

Imogen ignored Fiona's question of "what?" and said, "Fiones, I think I might still have some feelings for you. They're kind of small but they're there."

Imogen turned her head to the side, fully aware of how she put her heart out there. She doesn't hear a sound from Fiona and can feel Eli's eyes on her. The silence seemed to last forever when in reality it only lasted for a minute. Imogen peeked at Fiona's face which was shocked but she noted the corners of Fiona's mouth slightly turned up.

"Immy. I still love you. Whether we're girlfriends or friends, I will always love you. I want you happy and if that means being with Jack and fixing things up with her, then I'll do what I can to make it happen. If you want to be with me, then I _certainly_ have no objections to that either." Fiona paused, letting her words sink in. "I'm always going to be there for you. I don't want to rush you or get my hopes up but wait until graduation and see what happens. I'm okay with just being friends, but you need to follow your heart."

Eli smiled at Imogen's sparkling eyes. He wasn't sure if he had seen them shine so brightly since he and Fiona graduated.

"Okay Fiones," Imogen answered, a smile in place, nodding at all her points. "I can do that."

"I'm glad Imogen," Fiona said with a smile of her own. "Give me a call when you're free. I've got a lot of down time."

Imogen hesitated, but asked, "Can I call you when I get home? We have some catching up to do."

Fiona nodded with a grin and ended the conversation, promising to be ready for Imogen's next call.

Imogen closed her computer and grabbed it in her hand. She went over to Eli, who was standing in front of the counter and kissed his cheek. She walked toward the door, giving him a little wave before leaving, a weight finally being lifted off her shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

My muse seems to be very strong so I'm going to keep this going, whether it ends somewhat canon-ish or even the furthest thing away from the truth.

* * *

The next morning, Imogen approached the high school with a slight bounce in her step, akin to skipping. Her smile appeared wider, her unusual greetings even weirder, and her skips were at an all time high in the air.

Jack looked at Imogen with a confusedly, though she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face at the skipping senior. She then looked at her shoes and let out a sigh, smile vanishing at the fact that Imogen's happiness was most likely not because of her. She nearly jumped out of fear when Imogen landed right next to her. Gone was her smile and Imogen greeted her with a tilt of her head.

Jack looked at Imogen, how straight a line her mouth was. Her brown eyes seemed somewhat dull when looking at her and Jack was afraid that Imogen would try something again. She didn't expect Imogen to apologize.

"I'm sorry Jack," Imogen said, fiddling her hands and trying to keep as much eye contact as possible. "I never should have tried to make you come out and you should come out when you're ready. Or never if you're not ready. Either way, it's only up to you and I'm sorry I tried to force you to do something you weren't comfortable with. Can you forgive me?"

Jack's eyes softened at Imogen's apology, but remained slightly surprised that Imogen only remained serious. From what Becky had told her, Imogen could be a little emotional when it came to her opinions and apologies. She expected a few tears and blinked hard when she saw none even appear in Imogen's eyes.

"That's alright Imogen," Jack replied with a smile. "I can sort of understand why you did what you did. I need some time, but I promise I'll come out to my parents. I'm sorry we can't pose for the yearbook pictures though."

Imogen gave her smile and a shrug, seemingly understanding. Jack hid her confusion at Imogen's odd 180 but leaned in for a make up kiss. She yelped when she felt herself kissing Imogen's hand instead.

"What was that for!?" Jack asked. "I thought we made up!"

"We did," Imogen replied standing up. Jack remained sitting, looking at Imogen with a frown. "But we can't just jump back into a relationship. We did break up!"

"Yeah and I thought we were getting back together," Jack argued, standing up to face Imogen. A few passing students stopped to look at one of the school's "best couples" argue. Among them stood Clare, Dallas and Alli. "We just made up!"

"Yeah but I don't want to get back together with you."

A collective gasp went through the students and Imogen just realized how many people were watching her and Jack argue. She turned and gave a helpless shrug when she saw Clare watching with her camera hanging around her neck. Dallas, with his arm around Alli's waist, gave Imogen a smirk, while Alli sent a look of pity to Jack.

"What do you mean Imogen?"

Imogen frowned, but the sparkle in her eye was hard to miss. "Jack, I can't be with someone who isn't out all the time. I've treasured our relationship, but I can't do this. I don't want you to come out until you're ready. It's not about that, but I'm graduating soon and I think it's best if we end this now."

As the students heard her words, they started to murmur and disperse, the fight they were hoping for not coming.

Jack's heart started to break and her face showed no less, her eyes coming close to letting out tears. As her nose sniffled, Jack tried to keep her emotions at bay.

"Is it someone else?" She whispered, her voice higher than usual.

Imogen didn't answer, but her slightly guilty face told the whole story. She whispered, "I'm sorry Jack. I wish you the best and hope that maybe we can be friends in the future."

Jack didn't want to be friends. She wanted to scream and yell. Retaliate against Imogen. Yet, the look on Imogen's face made her insides heavy and she knew, Imogen did nothing wrong. If it was someone else, she knew without a doubt that Imogen had not cheated and this took place while they were still and currently broken up.

"Not now," Jack replied after a while. She gave a watery smile and added, "Maybe in the future." The bell rang and Jack picked up her bag, ready to go to class. "Bye Imogen."

"Bye Jack."

The blonde junior walked in the building without saying another word.

As she walked in, Imogen felt the weight of her words sink and found landed on the stairs with a loud thump. Clare, Dallas and Alli walked up to her. Imogen felt tears in her eyes and let them freely fall. She knew breaking up with Jack was necessary, but still found it hard. Jack was the first person she dated since Fiona.

Clare sat next to her and asked, "You okay Imogen? You need to talk?"

Imogen wiped a tear and replied, "I'm okay Clare. Thanks for asking."

Alli sat on Imogen's other side, bring Dallas down with her. She asked, "I heard you went to Eli for some advice, but I didn't anticipate you and Jack making up and then breaking up. What happened?"

Imogen then said, "Eli tried but couldn't really help so I called the one person I know could help." She looked right at Dallas and smiled. "I called Fiona and we talked and she helped me figure some things out."

Dallas chuckled but excitedly said, "Yo! Fiona called? How did I not know this? Can I talk to her?"

Alli chuckled at his excitement while Imogen bobbed her head. "She's been a bit of busy, but she said she'd be available later this week. I'll set up a time and let you know."

Dallas got up, clapped his hands and thanked Imogen. He gently pulled Alli up and they walked in the building, hand in hand, smiles on their face.

Clare scooted closer to Imogen and asked, "Fiona helped you figure some things out?" Imogen nodded excitedly. "You guys getting back together?"

The last thing Clare expected Imogen to do was frown, yet she did so. She seemed deflated and answered, "I think so. We both said we still had feelings for each other, but I'm still here and she's still in Italy. I don't how we're going make this work."

Clare clasped Imogen's knee and smiled softly. "Don't worry Imogen, it'll work out for the best. Just keep an open mind." Another warning bell rang and Clare rose up. "Come on or else we'll be late for class." At her words, Imogen jumped to her feet and followed her friend inside for first period.

* * *

2 Days Later

Imogen, Dallas, Clare, Alli, and Eli all sat in Eli's living room on Friday night. The computer sat on the edge of the coffee table, comfortably getting everyone in view. Imogen sat in between both the couples, sandwiched between Eli and Dallas with Clare and Alli at the ends.

Alli and Clare were on their phones, chatting away as they waited for Fiona to appear online. The fashion design student was due an hour ago and still had not shown. Dallas and Imogen shared their favorite memories of Fiona but all the same remained agitated. Imogen's foot tapped away impatiently and Dallas' fingers drummed to some random beat. Eli was the only one that remained unoccupied, left to his thought with a smile that rivaled the Mona Lisa's. Fiona's no show seemed to have no effect on him, which bothered Imogen endlessly.

"How are you so calm Goldsworthy!? Imogen exclaimed earlier. "Fiona's late!"

Eli only gave a sly grin and shrugged, replying, "Must be the wise persona inside me. Just wait Im, patience is a virtue."

Alli sighed and stood up, getting Dallas' attention. "Guys look. I want to talk to Fiona but it's getting late. We have to see Rocky in the morning." Dallas nodded, making a move to stand, though more reluctant to do so. "I think we should go."

"Sorry Imogen," Dallas said sincerely. "I wanna see my homegirl but Rocky comes first." Imogen nodded sadly but let him stand up. Dallas and Alli made their way to the front door and were just about to open it when they heard a knock.

Imogen and Clare stood up as Eli called out, "Door's open!"

Dallas and Alli moved aside as the door opened to reveal Fiona Coyne.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third part. Enjoy!

* * *

"Fiones?"

Everyone's attention went to Imogen, whose jaw dropped and remained so. Dallas raised an eyebrow, amused at her reaction. Alli and Clare sported matching smiles while Eli walked toward Fiona and let her in. Fiona's thousand watt smile hit Imogen like a tidal wave, her pearly whites shining so brightly that Imogen recognized what she was doing and closed her mouth.

"Hi Immy," Fiona responded, somewhat shyly, putting up a small wave of the hand. "Hi everyone!"

Fiona went around to greet everyone, hugging Eli and Dallas very tightly while giving Alli and Clare looser hugs. She went over to Imogen who remained frozen and amusedly waved her hand up and down, trying to garner her ex-girlfriend's attention.

"Imogen? _Im?_ " Fiona gently called out. She gently poked the senior's shoulder and held in a gasp as Imogen proceeded to fall back and land on the couch, waking up from her thoughts.

"How did I get on the couch?" She asked, looking at everyone but Fiona. Imogen jumped up on her feet and stood in front of Fiona, sizing her up as if she were ready to fight her. She looked at Fiona curiously, walking around her in a circle. The former socialite tried to humor her former best friend, but couldn't help but feel somewhat self-conscious with her odd behavior.

"Imogen," Eli chided. "Stop treating her like some sort of criminal and give her a hug!"

Imogen looked behind Fiona and saw his arm around Clare's shoulders, a pose mirrored by Dallas and Alli except his arm was around her waist. She felt a small pang beat against her heart when she realized that Fiona was literally right in front of her. She jumped into the taller girl's arms, hands tightly around her neck.

Fiona, taken back by Imogen's tackle hug, quickly snaked her arms around Imogen's waist and put her face into the crook of the smaller girl's neck.

"I missed you Fiona Coyne," Imogen whispered in her ear. "I missed you tons."

"And I missed you Imogen Moreno," Fiona whispered back and Imogen could _feel_ Fiona's smile. "I missed you two tons."

* * *

"Good night guys," Eli said, leaning against his front door. Fiona and Imogen stood outside, ready to leave the Goldsworthy residence.

" 'Night Eli!" Imogen said with a wave.

"Good night Eli," Fiona said. She smiled and added, "Thanks for everything."

"Of course ladies. Anything for you two."

With that, the two ladies left, the sound of the door echoing a moment later as they walked down the hall and left the building.

Fiona's last few hours were spent catching up with everyone. She felt well acquainted with everyone, knowing everything from Alli's shot at attending Cambridge to Eli's leave from NYU. She noticed that only one person had been silent, Imogen, often deflecting any attempts on how she was doing or turning it to someone else.

Now alone, Fiona hoped she could pry some things out of Imogen. She left her arm hanging, her hand brushing Imogen's with every step. The bursts of electricity coming from the touch of their hands sent a shiver through Fiona, and being bold, grasped Imogen's hand and held it.

Imogen made no effort to let go of Fiona's hand and gripped it with a snug tug instead. Their arms (and hands) swung between the two, with both trying to see who could swing it the highest. Imogen literally jumped as she swung their hands, causing Fiona to laugh.

"Okay, okay, Imogen," Fiona said between chuckles. "You win. You win."

The senior stuck her tongue out and smiled to herself.

It seemed that things were going to be quiet until Fiona broke it, saying, "I've missed this," emphasizing by raising their joined hands slightly.

"Me too," Imogen breathed out, the butterflies raging in her stomach.

Fiona looked at her, hoping Imogen would add something more but sighed when she was met with silence.

Trying not to let her frustration show, she instead asked, "How are things going Imogen? You were kind of quiet back there."

The only response she received was a shrug and a "Fine, not much to talk about."

She still pushed though, "Really? How's your play going?" Silence. "Are you excited about prom? Graduation?" A shrug. "How about college? Did you decide on whe-"

"Can you please stop with the questions!"

The exclamation caught Fiona off guard, making her stop in place. What should have been question came out of Imogen's mouth as a demand, and the junior designer felt incredibly small.

Imogen on the other hand, was frustrated.

"What is up with the interrogation?" Imogen demanded, hands flying in gestures. "Everything is fine! Didn't it occur to you that maybe I don't _want_ to talk about any of these things!?

Fiona's small bout of self-consciousness disappeared and she fired back, "Why didn't you just say that!? I've been so excited to see you. Yet, you've been shutting me out since I got here. What did I do wrong?" That question came out as more of a whisper, asking herself more than asking Imogen.

Imogen, whose stomach went from lovey-dovey butterflies to guilty lead, bowed her head in shame. She quietly responded, "Nothing. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why are you shutting me out?"

"I'm scared." Imogen admitted. "I'm scared. Scared of the future. Scared of us. Of what's going to happen to us. Of what "us" is."

"I know the future is scary," Fiona said to her, grabbing her hand and keeping their previous pace. "Facing it is scary. You're going to be okay. _We're_ going to be okay. Trust me, trust _us._ We're soulmates, remember?" Fiona took her hand and poked Imogen's nose with a small smile.

* * *

As Imogen walked up to her front door, she noticed Fiona standing back on the sidewalk. Imogen's smile vanished and she beckoned for Fiona to come toward her.

The last half hour had the senior much happier after Fiona's bold declaration. Who could resist a sappy Fiona Coyne? Certainly not her. While she wished she possessed even half of Fiona's confidence, she was glad the Degrassi alum held a lot of faith in their tentative relationship.

"Aren't you coming Fi?" She asked. "This is our stop."

Fiona shook her head with a smile, as she walked up to Imogen. Her arms went around Imogen's waist, testing the waters, smiliing even wider when the younger girl put her hands on Fiona's shoulders.

"I'm staying at a hotel nearby."

"You can't walk there!" Imogen exclaimed. "It's nearly midnight! You can stay with me tonight."

"What about your family?"

Imogen shrugged and added, "Ryan and Alyssa are on some school trip and Natalie and the hubby-wubby are on some weekend trip. House is all mine. Well, all ours at least."

"Well who am I to resist."

And with that, they walked in, hand in hand.

* * *

Seems like a good place to end it. Or not really. We'll see...


End file.
